So much time is taken up with the in-game cut-scenes that you can't skip. Anyone have any idea of how we could get around any of them? I could die happy never having to hear about how "He was the son of a farmer." again.

Nope. Not in the OG or Remastered version.

There was a re-release on original Xbox called Genma: Onimusha where you could. But it's a very different layout and strat kinda game. I don't know much about it. Jaguar King I believed spent a little time looking at it?

That's a shame, like I said a lot of time could be saved if there was a way around it, glitchless or no.